CABBIES were today accused of bumping up their prices and ripping off revellers trying to evacuate Birmingham during the terror alert.

CABBIES were today accused of bumping up their prices and ripping off revellers trying to evacuate Birmingham during the terror alert.

Partygoers have complained that black cab drivers and private hire cars were touting for business in the city centre as thousands left bars and clubs on Saturday night.

TV researcher Gurmej Singh claimed a black cab driver tried to charge him £20 from St Paul's Square to Edgbaston - a journey normally costing £5. The 30-year-old, from Bearwood, said: "It was scandalous how much some of the drivers were charging.

"Private hire firms were even trying to pick up fares in the street, which they're not allowed to do.

"It was upsetting to see how some cab drivers were taking advantage of a desperate situation," added Mr Singh, who was on a night out at the Jam House.

Mr Singh and his friends chose to shun the cab driver's offer and walked the four miles to their friend's house, in Monument Road, Edgbaston. But he claimed a group of women walking behind them got in a black cab whose driver had quoted them £35 to Wolverhampton Road, in Quinton.

Birmingham and Solihull Taxi Association secretary Mike Shingler said: "If black cab drivers are reported to the licensing authority and are found to have overcharged then we will have no sympathy for them at all.

"Our reputation is important to us and in the case of a real emergency, like the Birmingham bombings when we drove casualties away for no charge, black cabs will be on the frontline."

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council, which licenses black cabs, said they had received no official complaints but urged anyone who was overcharged to call 0121 303 1112.